Hawthorn’s announced it’s bringing back a retro jumper. So we’re taking a trip down memory lane and picking which retro kits every AFL club should consider bringing back.
Retro jumpers evoke fan reaction and pique interest like nothing else.
Hawthorn announced last week that it’s bringing back a retro jumper for the 2023 season, and it’s holding a fan vote to determine which one, with a couple of iconic jumpers in the mix.
We’ll get to the Hawks’ nominations in a minute, but they’ve inspired us to take a look at some of every club’s iconic heritage and retro jumpers – ones they should all look to bring back.
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Adelaide
Nothing says ‘retro’ like a monogram, and this SANFL-inspired Crows kit, originally worn during 2005 Heritage Round, is a great one to kick us off.
Another classic Crows jumper, truer to the idea of ‘retro’, is their original away strip, worn between 1997-2005.
The Crows’ 2021 and 2022 clash jumpers featured both red and gold as the main colours, so maybe they could throw it back to this one as an away strip in the future?
While we’re here, let’s not forget this masterpiece of a pre-season jumper, worn between 1996-1998 – this might be the best of the lot.
Brisbane
Brisbane has plenty of options in terms of throwbacks, as the product of a merger between the Brisbane Bears and Fitzroy Lions.
The classic Bears home strip from 1992-96 is definitely hard to go past (check out the long sleeves in the back – and the white shorts aren’t bad either!)
Honouring the heritage of the Bears also warrants a nod to Fitzroy, as the Brisbane Lions have done in past heritage rounds:
Carlton
The Blues went retro back in 2014, re-adopting what’s now their current home jumper, featuring the monogram worn originally between 1927-1997.
‘Retro’ now might mean deviating from the current monogram, and taking it back to 1998 when it was first changed to align with the club logo:
Carlton could also go way back to its early heritage, as it did in 2003 & 2004 during Heritage Round, paying homage to its first ever jumper (worn between 1897 and 1913) and its first-ever monogram (from 1910).
Collingwood
The Magpies have a couple of jumpers that suit the retro style perfectly. First is this ‘swooping magpie’ style they wore as a clash jumper between 2002-2004:
This black-on-white jumper from 2003 is also a clean design – could Collingwood adopt it as a clash option in future seasons?
The next one, worn in the pre-season in 1996-97, probably doesn’t quite fit the bill for a ‘best’ retro jumper – but it’s certainly unique, and certainly retro:
Essendon
Red shorts, big red sash – the Bombers simply have to bring this back.
But the Bombers could go the opposite way as they did in 2003 Heritage Round, donning a much thinner sash, as was tradition between 1897 and 1974.
Fremantle
Freo is the winner when it comes to throwbacks, bringing back retro jumpers in 2019, 2021 and 2022.
2019 saw the Dockers go back to their roots, wheeling out their original home jumper to celebrate 25 years in the AFL:
They brought back the ‘Green Anchor’ – their inaugural away jumper – to be used as a clash strip in 2021:
And this year, the infamous ‘3D Anchor’.
Retro throwbacks seem to be a recurring theme for the Dockers, so what could be next? Maybe one of these:
Geelong
The Cats’ home jumper has scarcely changed throughout the years, but there’s an opportunity for a throwback to the late 1990s and early 2000s with a few away jumpers.
The Cats used variations of this jumper between 1999 and 2004, with their logo on the front:
This kit made a couple of appearances in 2003, being used in games against Collingwood and North Melbourne:
The Cats seem to also fancy adding a collar to their jumper with the traditional hoops – definitely fits the ‘retro’ brief.
Gold Coast
As one of the AFL’s newest clubs, the Suns’ history isn’t particularly extensive, though there’s a bit of pre-AFL history they could honour.
The Suns could don the jumper of the Southport Sharks – the most successful NEAFL and QAFL team, as Gold Coast trained and played at the Sharks’ facilities before their entry into the AFL.
Similarly, the Dockers did this with the original WAFL East Fremantle and Fremantle jumpers in the early 2000s Heritage Rounds.
The Suns’ early clash and away jumpers also have a bit of a retro throwback feel about them, with a distinct style for their first couple of years in the league.
GWS Giants
GWS has the perfect pre-AFL jumper to use as a ‘retro’ kit – its original TAC Cup jumper from before it was named the ‘Giants’.
The Giants’ away jumper between 2014-15 could also be a nice flash back to GWS’ yester-year:
Hawthorn
The Hawks have already announced the three retro jumpers that could feature next year, including the controversial but iconic ‘Blue Diamond’ jumper they wore in the 1995 pre-season:
The other two options the Hawks have presented are the ‘Golden Hawk’ (left), and the ‘Big Hawk’:
The Hawks have had a number of controversial jumpers throughout their history, but a couple more that could feature are their 2004 Heritage Round jumper (left) – their inaugural VFL jumper, and an inverse of 2022’s clash strip – and their 2015 clash jumper, which featured a heritage monogram.
Melbourne
The Dees’ old logo definitely brings about a retro feel, and a number of their 2000s clash jumpers capture the retro style perfectly.
This one, from 2004, has the logo in prominence:
Melbourne changed to this jumper between 2005-2007, with inspiration from the logo but a more abstract feel:
The Dees also adapted their jumper to have the logo in prominence, with these their alternate strips in 2009:
North Melbourne
There’s one clear standout in terms of a North Melbourne retro jumper – its clash jumper from between 1996-2002.
The Roos brought it back as a clash jumper in 2019 – could they look to re-adopt it again in the future?
The Roos’ away and clash strips in 2005 and 2006 are also some of their best retro jumpers:
Port Adelaide
The Power have plenty of retro and heritage jumpers to choose from, but none more prominent than the Prison Bar jumper, which they’ve worn sparingly in recent years:
Honouring their history as the Power, however, there are a number of retro jumpers that Port Adelaide could bring back.
(L-R) Port’s original clash jumper, original home jumper, and 2003 clash jumper would all be great to see:
The Power also held a few competitions for their ‘Planet Teal’ junior membership program, where young fans designed one-off jumpers for the club to wear.
The 2007 edition (left) would be a great retro jumper design for its relation to the club’s old logo, while the 2008 edition (c) is arguably better than many of Port Adelaide’s mid-2000s away jumpers.
The 2009 edition was originally intended as a one-off design, but later became Port Adelaide’s ongoing home kit.
Richmond
The Tigers’ jumper is one that hasn’t changed much over the years, but their 2004 Heritage Round jumper would be a great throwback:
2003 Heritage Round saw the Tigers wear vertical stripes, as they did when they entered the league in 1908:
The Tigers have worn claw mark-style jumpers in pre-seasons throughout the years, but their version from 1998-2003 is the standout.
St Kilda
The Saints are yet another club to bring back a retro jumper as an away strip, adopting a jumper they wore in home games from 1997-2001 as their away jumper:
The Saints’ away jumper from 2004-2006 is another great retro contender with its thinner stripes:
This is another one that might be considered ‘retro’ a few years down the line, but the Saints’ clash jumper from 2011-14 is arguably one of their best:
Sydney
The Swans honoured their heritage through their 2022 clash jumper, wearing the ‘Red V’ jumper in their Victorian away games, to pay homage to their origins as South Melbourne.
It was the jumper the Swans wore between 1932-1986:
The Swans have worn vertical striples on a couple of occasions, as South Melbourne did in its early days.
They did so in ‘Centenary Round’ in 1996 (left), while wearing a combination of their current home jumper and stripes during the pre-season in 1997 and 1998.
West Coast
The Eagles have commemorated 20 and 30-year anniversaries wearing the original Eagle emblem on their jumpers in 2012 (20 years since the 1992 premiership) and 2016 (30 years in the league) respectively:
But there are a couple of retro jumpers that some fans would love to see return – firstly, worn as a home jumper between 2000-2006:
Perhaps polarising, there is a contingent of fans that would be willing to make a case for the Eagles’ infamous 2000-2002 away jumper:
If Hawthorn is bringing the ‘blue diamond’ retro jumper back, why shouldn’t the Eagles bring back this one?
Western Bulldogs
There’s one standout retro jumper that the Bulldogs should arguably return to using as their home strip – most recently worn as a one-off jumper in 2019.
It was Footscray’s home jumper from 1975-1996, and would be the perfect throwback for the Dogs to turn to.
The Dogs’ home strip from the late 1990s-2000s with the bulldog on the front of the jumper is another nostalgic design, which they wore as a one-off in 2022.
The Bulldogs also adopted vertical stripes for 2003’s Heritage Round, based on an early Footscray design.
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